What are we going to do about the candy situation?

Ema of 5

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 12:05 pm

precious wrote:

For those of you that don't let your kids have it all what do you do with it?

In previous years I’ve let my kids fill up one gallon or 2 gallon ziploc, and the rest goes to our cleaning lady. This year everyone had much less, so I am letting them keep it all.

amother

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 12:07 pm

precious wrote:

For those of you that don't let your kids have it all what do you do with it?

Garbage. Because that’s where it belongs. Though this year I might give it to my cleaning lady.

amother

Purple

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 12:11 pm

Also there’s okay candy and then there’s really bad candy. If you really want to send candy in your MM then why can’t it be candy with no food coloring or corn syrup or artificial flavoring. I don’t even care as much about the sugar as I care about the awful chemicals in these candies.

They have “healthier” candy options out there. That’s what I bought for my kids MM. Yes, it is a little pricier but if that’s stopping you then just give a bag of chips and a little chocolate bar. That’s better than the disgusting ring pops and gushers and laffy taffy’s.

amother

Peach

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 12:11 pm

I live in Crown Heights and there's a drop off here for nosh to donate to Camp Yeka for russian and ukrainian orphan girls. We put all our extra stuff there every year.

amother

Red

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 12:19 pm

Our kids wind up with a mixture of candy, nosh, and some slightly healthier items like pretzels, peanut butter crackers, applesauce, and raisins. Our own MM was two items of candy and two healthier things.

We let the kids divide their haul up among themselves, and then just pace them on eating the things. On Purim day they might eat 5-6 things, and then going forward we will let them have 1-2 things from their MM after dinner. The healthier things we let them eat as snacks anytime. Anything still left at Pesach we throw out.

amother

Jade

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 12:25 pm

precious wrote:

For those of you that don't let your kids have it all what do you do with it?

In far Rockaway and 5 towns there are drop offs for JEP (kids kiruv organization) so we each take a few things we want to keep- myself included! - and then give the rest there.

keym

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 12:45 pm

My teenagers received a lot of danishes or muffins and snapple or cappuccino and chocolate. Not healthy, but nowhere near as disgusting as the candy my 6 year old received.
And my 12 year old traded me all his candy and taffies for some of the good chocolate that I got.
Just some perspective.
Eventually, they're taste buds expand to appreciate giving and receiving salad, chips and salsa or homemade muffins and chocolate.

amother

Puce

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 12:48 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I wish. But I can’t see this changing anytime soon. And I don’t want to be “that mom”. My kids schools in lkwd give out snack every day, and even that is total junk.

My daughter in a Lakewood school gets pulled out once a week and is usually rewarded with oodles or something similar. She goes out because she has add Banging head

Do they think they’re helping her?

amother

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 1:07 pm

amother [ Amber ] wrote:

I hate it too but I think it’s a bit delusional to think that a few (or a bunch of) parents deciding it’s bad can make a difference.

So what’s the solution?

amother

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 1:10 pm

amother [ Puce ] wrote:

My daughter in a Lakewood school gets pulled out once a week and is usually rewarded with oodles or something similar. She goes out because she has add Banging head

Do they think they’re helping her?

So awful. I wish I could send all therapists articles on how neurotoxic food dyes and additives are, and how sugar feeds yeast and bad gut bacteria which in turn affects behavior detrimentally. I work in sp. Ed and refuse to give candy. I’m very generous with prizes though.

thunderstorm

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 1:33 pm

I limit my kids giving to 4 or 5 so that there isn’t this excess of candy. Lots of what is received is chips and drinks.
The candy we keep special for Shabbos Party up until Pesach. By then all the candy disappears.
We did not receive any candy in regular mishloach manos . There was lots of chocolate. We don’t mind chocolate 😉

tigerwife

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 1:38 pm

amother [ Puce ] wrote:

My daughter in a Lakewood school gets pulled out once a week and is usually rewarded with oodles or something similar. She goes out because she has add Banging head

Do they think they’re helping her?

Can’t you speak to the tutor and ask her to stop rewarding with junk food? Dollar store prizes are just as exciting.

amother

Firebrick

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 1:42 pm

tigerwife wrote:

Can’t you speak to the tutor and ask her to stop rewarding with junk food? Dollar store prizes are just as exciting.

You can purchase dollar store prizes you know your daughter will like and give them to the tutor to give your daughter as prizes.
I don't know if people realize but teachers mostly pay out of pocket for prizes, and candy is a pretty cheap option. I am sure the tutor will be thrilled not to have to spend money on incentives and will be happy to comply.

amother

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 2:20 pm

tigerwife wrote:

Can’t you speak to the tutor and ask her to stop rewarding with junk food? Dollar store prizes are just as exciting.

I work in the same room as another therapist who has 1 client whose mom requested she doesn’t give her candy. This therapist has told me multiple times how unfair she thinks this mom is being and how deprived the kid must feel to get a sticker when the other kids walk away with a lollipop. Nobody wants to be that mom. And the kids, at least some, are resentful if they’re singled out. That’s why there needs to be some kind of group effort. A revolution of sorts.

amother

Pewter

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 2:44 pm

Please don't throw tomatoes at me but I'm really trying to understand - if you think candy and sugary treats are so terrible, why are you dropping it off for orphans and kiruv organizations?!? Just because they are needy, do they deserve your garbage? Ifbyou think its garbage, please don't give it to people who are in need of charity. They deserve healthy food too!!!

amother

Firebrick

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 2:53 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Let the mom buy fun erasers and cute pencil box supplies for the tutor to give instead. Yes, a sticker isn't that exciting. But a cute item is, and the girl will likely be thrilled. It really isn't fair to expect the tutor to lay out the money, though. Candy is cheap & easy to buy in bulk. Dollar store items add up quickly especially for multiple students, so if an individual parent prefers no candy, let them lay out the money for their own child to get that instead.

amother

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 3:01 pm

amother [ Pewter ] wrote:

I would give away stuff that I don’t consider healthy but is still food. Like wafers, chocolate, snack bags, etc. Junk junk goes in the garbage.